beauty
[ byoo-tee ]
/ ˈbyu ti /
noun, plural beau·ties.
Origin of beauty
1225–75; Middle English
be(
a)
ute < Old French
beaute; replacing Middle English
bealte < Old French
beltet < Vulgar Latin
*bellitāt- (stem of
*bellitās), equivalent to Latin
bell(
us) fine +
-itāt-
-ity
SYNONYMS FOR beauty
2
belle.
historical usage of beauty
English
beauty comes from Middle English
beaute, beaulte, from Anglo-French
bealte, ultimately from an unrecorded Vulgar Latin noun
bellitās (stem bellitāt-), a derivative of the Latin adjective
bellus “pretty, handsome, charming, fine, pleasant, nice,” which is related to Latin
bonus “good, virtuous.”
The progression of the various senses is: “(especially of a woman) physical attractiveness, grace, charm” (early 14th century); “(general) moral or intellectual excellence” (late 14th century); “(of a physical object) pleasing to the sight” and “a pleasing or beautiful quality” (both from the 15th century).
The colloquial, sometimes ironic sense, especially in the shortened noun beaut, “someone or something extraordinary, remarkable, or amazing,” was originally an Americanism dating to the first half of the 19th century.
The progression of the various senses is: “(especially of a woman) physical attractiveness, grace, charm” (early 14th century); “(general) moral or intellectual excellence” (late 14th century); “(of a physical object) pleasing to the sight” and “a pleasing or beautiful quality” (both from the 15th century).
The colloquial, sometimes ironic sense, especially in the shortened noun beaut, “someone or something extraordinary, remarkable, or amazing,” was originally an Americanism dating to the first half of the 19th century.
OTHER WORDS FROM beauty
non·beau·ty, noun, plural non·beau·ties.Words nearby beauty
Example sentences from the Web for beauty
British Dictionary definitions for beauty
beauty
/ (ˈbjuːtɪ) /
noun plural -ties
the combination of all the qualities of a person or thing that delight the senses and please the mind
a very attractive and well-formed girl or woman
informal
an outstanding example of its kind
the horse is a beauty
informal
an advantageous feature
one beauty of the job is the short hours
informal, old-fashioned
a light-hearted and affectionate term of address
hello, my old beauty!
interjection
(NZ ˈbjuːdɪ)
an expression of approval or agreement
Also (Scot, Austral, and NZ): you beauty
Word Origin for beauty
C13: from Old French
biauté, from
biau beautiful; see
beau
Idioms and Phrases with beauty
beauty